Disclaimer: Not mine don't sue

Inara still felt vaguely uneasy in this room which was odd considering everything about it was designed to put a person at ease. From the rich drapes to the running water fountain to the music drifting in from the courtyard, it was supposed to be warm and welcoming. But for Inara, it was always her mother’s room and always felt as chilly as a winter wind.

“So,” her mother started carefully, “How are things on your ship?”

Inara all but rolled her eyes. “You know perfectly well everything that’s happened on my ship, Mother. That’s why I’m here. So how about we dispense with the superfluous pleasantries and discuss what you actually want to talk about?”

Her mother rose an eyebrow. “So, I see you have acquired some rough manners out there on the rim,” she replied dryly.

“I have always refused to suffer foolishness, Mother. I just have greater license to express it out where people have little time for it themselves.”

“From the sounds of things, those people out there are nothing but foolish, expecting The Alliance to help them with every little thing,” her mother sniffed.

“The Alliance never helped anyone unless it suited their ends,” Inara replied harshly. Inside she thought to herself, ‘Buddha, save me, I sound like Mal.’

“Let us not argue about politics. It's beside the point right now. We should be talking about your career such as it is.”

“My career is fine, Mother. I have expanded my client base and my horizons a dozen times over,” Inara answered proudly.

“So you posit that life amongst common thieves is good for you?” her mother replied, incredulous.

“I think living a life of my own choosing is what’s best for me. Yes,” Inara answered. She almost wanted to laugh. Her mother’s distaste was obvious and Inara had expected nothing less.

“You could choose anything you wanted here on Shinon,” her mother scoffed.

“Only if you approve, though. That’s the catch. I couldn’t live with anymore,” Inara replied, “and I didn’t come here to be insulted, either. So you can tell me what the council wants or tell me how you feel. For once, I have a hearing to prepare for and a thousand other things I could be doing right now if you are just going to waste my time.”

Her Mother sighed, stood up from her chair, and faced the window. “Someone higher up is pushing the Guild. I don’t who. They don’t really want your license, they just want you to fall in line.”

“What do they want me to do, come back to Shinon?” Inara asked, uncertain. She had a sinking feeling she knew the answer already.

“They would be satisfied if you went back to the training house you were at before all of this. The Guild simply cannot allow itself to be associated in any way with the infamous Malcolm Reynolds.” She spoke simply this time, devoid of all emotion.

“So you’re saying I have to leave Serenity or I have to give up my membership?” Inara asked quietly. Her mother simply nodded.

Disclamer: not mine don't sue

Shopping was never one of Kara’s favorite activities and the ability to do so in one of the biggest Triplexes in the Core with a wad of cash from her last job with Sam wasn’t improving the experience. Kara still wasn’t sure if she liked this “Tri-Plex," a large glass stacked pyramid that was a more sophisticated version of Persephone’s markets. For one, it was eerily clean and for another, the prices were insane. The few odds and ends they’d both needed for clothes had been dirt cheap on the lower levels but the prices went in the other extreme further up. Up here she kept feeling like someone was going to come along and chase them out, but Sam had said it might be their last chance to see something like this for a while and for once, they could afford it.

Kara still wasn’t sure how they had wound up looking at baby stuff, but she knew it was somehow Sam’s fault. Still, she found herself fingering a yellow jumper and getting the same shiver of excitement that she used to associate with getting into a viper. She had never been one to coo over baby stuff, but it was odd now thinking about actually needing it. Since hearing she was pregnant, they had spent so much time reacting and running, it was only really sinking in lately how much everything was going to change. Logistically, a lot had changed already, but it still shocked her to think that she, Kara “frak up” Thrace, was going to be responsible for a real live baby. She wanted this baby. She knew it the second she heard the news. It was the thing she had wished for more than once while she had watched Sam fight for his life after the mutiny. It started with Kacey, she knew that, but watching Sam slipping away had made her sure of it and of many other things.

“How about this?” Sam asked, holding up a deep red silk dress.

“Well for one I’m not sure if our son would like it much if that’s what we're having,” Kara said, walking over. "And for another, it costs about half of what we…” Kara trailed off when she realized she recognized the man walking past the window.

It was the last person she expected, but she would know him anywhere. It was Lee Adama. Instinctively, she ducked out of the shop and chased after him. If he was here, she wanted to know the reason. Sam dropped the dress and followed a step behind. “Lee,” she called out, knowing it was all she needed to say.

“Kara?” Lee asked, clearly as shocked as she was. “What are you doing here?”

“Shopping,” Kara shrugged, stopping awkwardly two feet in front of Lee. Suddenly, she remembered how they had parted on bad terms.

“Hey,” Sam added coldly. He clearly remembered Lee calling him a coward for ‘running out on the colony’.

“Me too,” Lee grinned awkwardly. “I got tired of everyone staring at my outfits so I figured I should buy some for the conference, which is really the reason I’m here. On Shinon, I mean. I’m representing the colony. Well, me and Tory anyway.”

“Yeah, well we just got paid and we needed a few things so we came up here to check it out,” Sam said.

“We were just gonna grab something to send back for Nicky and Hera,” Kara added, cutting Sam off before he could tell Lee their news. After everything, he deserved to hear it privately; she owed him that much. Plus it made him less likely to tell the whole colony out of spite. They still weren't sure if they ever wanted the extremist elements on either side to know about this baby.

“That’s great,” Lee said, smiling oddly again. “I’m kinda in a hurry, I have to get back. How about we meet up later to catch up?“

Sam nodded. “Sounds good. Do you have anything so we could give you our ship's wavelength?”

“Sure,” Lee replied, handing over a pad.

“We’ll see you later,” Kara nodded as Lee took back his pad and left. Sam and Kara exchanged a look as he left and then went back to their shopping.

Hey I have an offer open for Help Japan if anybody is interested and a link would probably help I'm offering a bunch of different fandoms so if you want to see me do something different or just write your favourite pairing for once now's your chance.

1. I just want to say this while its fresh in my mind but tonight NCIS was AWESOME. Every once in a while the show really steps up and becomes something really bigger than just another procedural and tonight was one of those nights. The actress playing Gunny(who I loved since she was on cheesy old FX the series) was amazing you could see exactly what happened to her in every movement and it tore my heart out to watch(especially because she had a very strong resemblance  story wise to my own abuser and even somewhat physically). I still knew who the killer was ten secounds after he appeared on screen but as I 've said before that doesn't really matter, this show can be great at telling stories because the good stuff isn't the last five minutes its everything before that.
2 Now on to the disappointing tv experiences, I've been watching Off the Map and I am very unhappy. I know its only two episodes in but the lack of locals on the show as real characters is already grating and I hate that its all about the white people. The show feels very mighty whitey which is a real shame because it had such an interesting premise.
3. The Game is BACK !!! I'm so excited about that, I'm slightly worried about the lack of Jason and Kelly since their my faves but Tasha Mack is still fierce so I am still fairly happy. Also please watch I know its sounds silly buts its really smart and the most feminist show on tv (IMO anyway)

Notes; this story is a remix of Brave New World by munditia
Disclaimer: not mine don't sue
"Starbuck, we already know way too much about your sex life. Please, for the good of the rest of us, shut up," Cally snarked from her position next to the stove.

It was a Friday night and Cally was starting to think of the crowd gathered around her tent, drinking Galen's homebrew. The only reason she put up with the still in the first place was that it meant they always had a party when she felt up to it. Although that was was less often lately, she thought, rubbing her six month belly.

"If you weren't knocked up Tyrol," Kara threatened, but she was grinning and Cally knew it was an empty threat. Kara was perched on Sam's lap in an ancient chair that was apparently a lot sturdier than it looked.

"I'm with Cally on this one," Jammer added. "We have got to have something better to talk about. Hell, I'd even settle for cards over that," he teased from his spot on the kitchen table.

"You know we do have another chair around here somewhere," Galen said.

"I'm fine where I am," Jammer replied.

"Sitting there makes him feel tall," Seelix chided, and the group laughed.

Jammer shook his head but grinned good naturedly. "No, I'm just close to the fire here, so I'm not freezing."

It was cold enough to see their breath, and the damp seemed to soak into their skin, so it was hard to argue with Jammer, but Cally figured Seelix was partly right too. Cally suspected the cold kept all the couples close as much as any newly wedded bliss. Even Jean was leaning on Sam's shoulder.

"The admiral is looking for civilian pilots to help with donut runs between here and Galactica," Helo piped up from beside Sam and Kara. Cally had been wondering why he had come. She still wasn't sure what to think of the toasterfrakker and she suspected he knew it.

"Really?" Duck asked, clearly curious.

"Yeah," Helo nodded. "You interested?"

"Maybe," Duck shrugged. "It beats digging ditches, I suppose. You gonna be flying with me Starbuck?" he asked.

"Nope, I already turned him down," Kara explained. "I like the job I have."

Helo turned toward Kara and narrowed his eyes. "I still can't quite believe you though. You really don't miss flying?"

Kara grinned. "Flying in circles you mean? Hell no. I would rather be here where I'm actually useful. Of course, you were never very useful Karl, so I get why you
might not understand that."

"I don't mind flying in circles, but I have to agree that life down here gives you a lot more room to breathe," Duck added.

"Come on, even on a night like this you guys don't miss the big G?" Helo asked, clearly wondering if they were all nuts.

"Not really," Galen shrugged, and the rest of the group muttered an agreement. It was funny, but Cally suspected they all meant it too. Galactica might be warmer, but for most of them, it was filled with bad memories. They'd all seen too much death. New Caprica wasn't exactly pretty, but at least it wasn't a graveyard.

Kara looked serious for a moment and then said, "I miss the Old Man, but I don't miss the rest of it. Up there I'd just be marking time. Besides there are other perks" she grinned and Sam leaned over and snuck a kiss

Cally looked at Kara. It was funny, but somehow they'd wound up in the same place. Maybe not exactly, but they were both newlyweds trying to figure out where they fit in this new world and in new marriages. There was a time when Cally would have laughed (or maybe swung a fist at) whoever would have suggested that she had anything in common with Starbuck, but now Kara was becoming one of her closest friends. Sam had a humanizing effect on her, and on the ground, she wasn't nearly as cocky as she was in the cockpit. Cally was actually wondering if they might make good Godparents. Sam was more religious than Duck, and Kara's beliefs were more in line with hers than Seelix. It was hard to explain but the baby was the thing that made her know in her heart the move was right. As much as Galactica was home, she never got excited at the thought of sharing it with her son, but one of the best things about this new world is that she can share it with her son. Cally suspected that was that the other thing Karl wasn't getting was that this was a brave new world and they all had a shot at making it a better one than the worlds they left behind.

Gaeta reached for his third drink and asked the room at large, "Wanna hear what stupid idea Baltar had this week?"

"Sure," Galen replied.

Cally tuned out at that point. She didn't want to hear the latest political bad news. She was too busy daydreaming about her son and all the things they would share.

Note: this story is a remix of Double Talk by frolicndetour
Disclaimer: not mine don't sue
Sam's head still throbbed from where he'd been hit over the head with a pistol but he had something he needed to do. He needed to her, he needed to be sure she was real. Sam opened the door to Roslin's office, and everyone in the room looked at him. Adama looked angry, and Sam took about half a second to try and figure out why before deciding to worry about it later. Tory looked at him expectantly. When he didn't meet her in the eye, she looked away. Roslin simply smiled at him in that cold, placating way she had, and said "Hello, Sam."

Gods, she was cold. It almost shocked him to think this was the kindly school teacher who had helped him with his stint on the people's council and later the resistance. "I just wanted to find out when I would be able to see my wife," he questioned.

The Admiral glared at him. "And I was wondering how you let her get past and pull this stunt," he barked.

"What should I have done? Shot her?" Sam fired back. He was annoyed but not surprised that Kara's actions had somehow become his fault in the admiral's eyes. Adama liked to think of Kara as perfect, and since she was anything but, it required a fair amount of denial.

"Sam, we are simply trying to limit Kara's contact with others. There is an inherent security risk in her speaking with anyone," Laura informed him. Sam almost laughed out loud. For once, Roslin's paranoia was well founded. If Kara really was a cylon agent, he would be the perfect contact seeing as he was a cylon himself. The urge to laugh was almost hysterically strong. He felt like blurting out everything and letting them throw him in the cell with her. Luckily, his self preservation instincts kicked in and he took a more logical approach.


"Not to mention, the risk in her escaping custody" Adama snarled. Sam didn't know wether he wanted to hit him or laugh, he was so dead set on being impossible for the sake of it, he was reminding him of Kara.

"Kara is my wife. a few hours ago I thought she was dead and I'd never see her again, I would think why I want to see her would be obvious he said through gritted teeth.

"I understand, Sam," Laura said placatingly. "My concern is that whatever's in that cell may not be your wife."

Roslin was supposed to be ill, but she looked as resolute as Sam had ever seen her. He stopped pacing and studied her. She wasn't going to budge, not unless he pushed her. "You owe me," he said simply. "I am asking you for a favor. I would think, given our history, you would be willing to help me."

"Sam, I wish I could," she started, but she faltered as she got to the end of her sentence. She looked at him questioningly, like she wasn't sure what he was getting at so Sam decided to spell it out further.

"After New Caprica..." As soon as he said those two words, he knew she understood. It was a secret they all had buried there, but he was willing to dig it up now if it meant getting to see Kara. "And given everything I did for you there and have done since, I would think I am not asking for much."

Laura sat down and Sam thought for a moment that he might have won. She looked beaten though, and Sam felt a bit guilty. This was Laura and whatever else she might be, she had once been his friend.

"Fine," she said, briskly sitting up straight again. "As long as the admiral doesn't object, you may see the prisoner.... whenever." She finished with a wave of her hand. "Though I thought you understood that everything we did together was for the greater good rather than for personal gain."

Sam winced, but he felt his sympathy wane slightly. "The political game was always a little too murky for me. That's why I got out. Pyramid suits me much better, don't you think?” he said kindly. He wanted her to know he hadn't done this to hurt her.

"I always thought you showed a lot of promise, even though I didn't always agree with you," Laura said coldly, obviously not wanting to let him off the hook that easily.

"I learned from the best," he said, trying to charm his way back into her good graces. She gave him a small wintry smile and then turned to Tory and asked her to escort him to the brig with a note of permission. On his way out, he couldn't help but notice how small and frail she looked.

*************

The two of them walked in silence for several minutes. Neither knew what to say. Sam finally broke the silence. "You don't have to walk with me. I can take the note myself."

"It's fine," Tory said quietly.

"I just want to say...." Sam trailed off. "I don't know what I want to say, but I need to be with Kara right now."

It was the last thing Tory wanted to hear. Their relationship, complicated as it was, was the only part of her life that made sense right now. She didn't want to be one of those girls who always needed a man to feel safe so she replied, "It's fine. I understand."

Something bothered her though. "It doesn't change anything? Everything that's happened, I mean?" she asked.

Sam paused, then answered, "No. I mean, it all still feels the same."

Tory pushed. She wanted answers, and it seemed like he might have some. "Isn't that the whole point of sleepers, though? That everything is the same and then one day you wake up and the whole world is different?"

Sam took a puff of his cigarette. "I think different is in the eye of the beholder. To me, Kara is still the same person I knew when she went into that storm. That's what counts."

Tory almost let it go, but part of her couldn't. "How do you know that though? If Kara isn't human, what is she? If she is a person the same as you and I, what does that mean?" Even Tory wasn't sure just who she was talking about now.

Sam turned and faced her. He looked her in the eyes for the first time that night. "I don't know anything right now, but I know that I love Kara and I have faith that she loves me too. It's not much, but its the only thing that makes sense right now. I have to follow that. I know it's not a great answer, but it's the best I've got."

Tory nodded, pretending to understand. She turned away from him then and stayed in front of him the rest of the silent trip to the brig.

***************

Kara paced in her cage. She was restless. She kept reviewing her conversation with the admiral. It sucked a little more every time. She saw someone at the door, talking to the guards, and she steeled (stalled?) herself. Sam walked through the door. She relaxed and almost smiled. She should have know he wouldn't be able to stay away. He didn't smile however. He almost looked pissed off. She should have known he'd be mad about what she had done, but he was here and that said a lot. "Hey," she said, trying to gauge his mood.

He simply walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She reached up and did the same. It was the most real anything had felt since she'd been back. Now she was home. They stayed that way for a long time. It wasn't until later that she would realize that the fact he hadn't wanted to talk was a sign of how much he had changed.

Chapter 2
Disclaimer: Not mine don't sue

“SIMPLE!!!!” Kaylee shouted, striding away from Simon’s bunk past the infirmary and into the middle of the rec room.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Kaylee,” Simon pleaded, following her, buttoning his shirt. He still limped slightly from his injuries sustained in their battle on Mr. Universe’s Moon.

Inara covered a smile as she walked into the room. The honeymoon period had apparently ended, and rather predictably, it had been over a careless remark from Simon. She stood in the doorway of the cargo bay and watched for a moment.

“Well, how in the name of Hades am I supposed to take that exactly?" Kaylee huffed as she whirled around to face Simon.

“I just meant that I don’t have to explain myself to you and that you don’t care about how your clothes look or about things like that,” Simon explained earnestly.

“So, what? I’m so simple that I just don’t care about anything?” Kaylee volleyed back.

Inara’s eyes drifted over to Kara and Sam who were entwined on the couch and clearly entertained by the display.

“I just mean that you're not…” Simon struggled for the words. “Shallow and materialistic and that you care about people and the important things and...and...”

Kaylee melted and took a step back towards Simon. “Stop before you say something stupid again,” she said. Then she closed the gap between them and kissed him.

Inara smiled now, happy as the two of them maneuvered back towards the cabins, still kissing.

Kara grinned and Sam chuckled. “Communication: It’s the cornerstone of every relationship,” he joked.

Kara laughed slightly and then said, "It's never as easy as it sounds, though, is it?” She looked pointedly at her husband.

“Those two are champions at miscommunication. You two certainly seem beyond that,” Inara commented.

Kara’s grin became slightly more ironic. “We’ve had our moments.”

Sam looked at his watch and said, “Well, we must be getting close to Shinon. We should get to our action station.” Sam stood up and Kara followed suit, stretching.

Inara noticed the abrupt change of subject. The two seemed rather closed off about their past. Like Mal, they seemed to prefer to leave who they were behind them. They were friendly enough, but they also seemed guarded as if they didn’t quite trust the situation yet. She supposed the fact that no one was supposed to know about the baby yet didn’t help, although she had noticed several tell-tale signs, and she wondered if Simon had noticed the same. She almost wanted to say something as she followed them towards the bridge but then Mal was standing in the kitchen, grabbing something that looked like it might be coffee.

“We getting close?” Mal asked.

“We should be, so long as the auto nav isn’t leading us into a sun,” Kara remarked.

Mal followed in behind them. “We should start listening to local radio chatter as soon as we get close enough.“

Mal took a sip from his mug before continuing as they entered the bridge. “The fake beacon and registry that Fanty and Mingo provided for this expedition looks good but I still want to be on the look out for trouble. Officially, the Alliance just wants to go back to pretending we don’t exist, but I still don’t trust them any more than I ‘d trust Jayne with my share of our latest take.”

“I’m sure we won’t be here more than a few days,” Inara broke in, somewhat defensively.

“I know. I just like to take care where’s the Alliance is concerned,” Mal said, raising a hand to reassure her. He took another sip of coffee before adding, “Thanks to the political liefest going on here this week, they’ll be plenty of folks from the rim about and anyways there's plenty of Fireflies in my sky.”

Kara smiled as she disengaged the auto-nav. “Well, we should be in comm. range in about thirty seconds, so Longshot here should fire the receiver.”

“Why do I have to listen for the chatter while you do all the fun stuff?” Sam asked.

“Because you got to have all the fun last trip,” Kara shot back. “Besides, with all the traffic around here, this is a tricky landing for me, and I’ve done quite a few planetary approaches.”

Mal smiled down at Kara and said, “Just take her easy. I like my ship in one piece.”

Kara grinned. “Don’t worry, Captain. I love a challenge.”

“I should contact Mother and let her know exactly when we’ll be arriving,” Inara said as she swept over to the comn station.

“We shouldn’t be more than half an hour landing with the traffic,” Kara called from behind her as Inara punched in the familiar digits.

Inara stood up straight and smiled broadly as her mother's face came onto the screen. “Hello, Mother.”

“Hello, Inara Serra,” her mother replied, smiling as well.

“We’re just entering the atmosphere here so I should arrive at Shinon House within the hour.”

“Wonderful. I cannot wait to see you,” Inara’s mother said sweetly.

'I’ll bet you can’t, Mother' Inara though. It was obvious to Inara that underneath, her mother was furious at her, which was just as well since Inara was just as angry. Inara was sure they would have a very interesting conversation when she arrived.

Disclaimer: not mine don't sue

She was angry. She was almost shaking with rage. It was the thing that would stick with her: hearing that Kara Thrace was dead. That and the terrible stillness of Bill's voice. It was something she had never heard from him before. He wasn't angry or sad or bitter. Hell, from his tone, he might have been talking about the weather but he was talking so quietly she knew even before he said it that something terrible had happened. Part of him died with her, she would later realize. She was his best, brightest girl and part of Bill died with her. It seemed like a violation of nature even to her. Kara Thrace was too alive, too lucky, too free to be dead.

As awful as Bill's voice had been, his expression was worse when he walked into her cabin. She stood up and took a step towards him but he stopped. She understood, he wasn't ready yet, he had a job to do here. Bill had come to tell Sam that his wife was dead.  Bill  needed to keep it together until he did that. So he sat in the chair by her desk and they waited what seemed like an eternity. Tory came in and put a fresh box of tissues on her desk but otherwise left them alone.
"I'm so sorry, Bill," she said, and he simply nodded and looked away.

Finally, Sam came through the door smiling, and he seemed to take up half the space in the room.

"What's up,?" he asked.

He was so light, so happy to see her, even though she gave him bad news half the time they met. She almost wished she had given some sort of warning, that this was about more than his job on the Salpica. It was funny, but Laura would remember that smile, how he seemed right before his world got blown to pieces. Barolay, a step behind him, stoic and watchful in contrast to Sam's good humor, Laura was glad she was here Sam would need all the comfort he could get soon enough.  Then Bill turned and faced him and the realization crept across Sam's face and he asked, "What happened?"

Sam looked back and forth between them as Bill took a step closer.

"Is it Kara?" he barely breathed.

Bill stood in front of him and said terribly softly, "She’s gone. I'm sorry." Sam crumpled, tears falling silently, and Laura heard Barolay gasp like she had been struck. "She…she," Bill choked out, wanting to explain.

Laura stood up to go offer comfort to Bill, but Sam simply reached out and hugged him. Bill stiffened at first. Laura actually thought he might shove Sam away, but then his shoulders started to shake. After a moment, Bill moved back and Laura took his arm, and Barolay hugged Sam as they sobbed. Laura realized she was crying as they all moved over to comfortable seats. The tables were still littered with papers from the meeting Laura had been in when Bill called. For what seemed like hours, they sat and cried. Bill finally broke the silence.

"She went into the gas giant chasing a raider. She hit the hard deck, her bird was crushed.  We're still not sure exactly what happened"

Sam nodded but he didn't really seem to be listening. (Laura would find out later that this was a highly embroidered version of events and that Bill was lying to himself about what happened.) At that moment, however, she just thought it sounded so inauspicious a way for "The Legendary Starbuck" to go out.

Sam blinked and wiped his face with his hand, trying to pull himself together.
"What do we do now?" he asked, and tears spilled over in his eyes before he even finished the sentence.

Laura dabbed at her face with a tissue and looked at Bill who was stone-faced once again
"We should go back to Galactica. The recovery team should have brought her back by now," Bill said.

Sam nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” he said, standing up. Laura held up the tissues for him, and he took a few and wiped the tears off his face again. Barolay shook herself and then blew her nose and stood up. Wordlessly, they filed out and headed for the raptor that would take them back to Galactica. On her way out, Laura signaled Tory to follow her. There would be quite a few arrangements to make and the press had to be dealt with, and Tory would be useful for that. The loss of Kara Thrace would reverberate throughout the fleet, and Laura knew that the grieving was just beginning for the fleet’s best and brightest girl.

This was the show people are calling the spiritual sequel to "The Soprano's and in some ways I can see that. Nucky Thompson certainly has Tony's taste for excess and thuggery but their is a subtlety and an intelligence that Steve Buscemi brings that makes him a dfferent animal.  Nucky is just starting to slide into the world of organized crime having been on the fringe for years.  Nucky is just starting down the road that will make him infamous and watching that ride may be what sets this show apart. Nucky himself seems unsure of where he will fit in this new world he is creating and what he is willing to do to achieve his goals. His character is as the obvious complexities of this sort of show he is violent and yet compassionate. Nucky lacks the swagger a lot of these characters have but that may be deliberate for while he controlled Atlantic City the real Nucky was more the ultimate middle man rather than a true Kingpin.

Along for the ride is Jimmy Darmody played wonderfully, he is also obviously set to be the shows Micheal Imperioli but again he is more than that. One of the more interesting aspects of his character is that he is a soldier fresh from the war, of all the shows facets this one is probably the most timely the show seems to be trying to say something with this although precisely what this is has yet to be seen. The character is wonderfully acted and has just enough vulnerability to be sympathetic of all the secoundary characters . Like Nucky, Jimmy is just starting down the road to his ultimate fate where he winds up I really can't tell of all the characters he is the one that has the most pull for me. His family and particularly his relationship with his wife(one of the better drawn female characters)  may complicate his ambitions to be a gangster and watching that somewhat smaller story play out should give the show a nice emotional punch.

The other main character subplot was the fairly routine story of a wide eyed battered wife drawn to Nucky' after he saves her and gives her charity.  The plot is saved by an amazing performance by Kelly MacDonald watching her transcend the cliche was one of the better parts of the pilot and should prove entertaining over the long haul. At the other end of the spectrum we have Nucky's dumb as brick moll who seems to add nothing but gratuitous  T&A  she might make a decent contrast to innocent Margaret but thanks to a whining flat performance my personal hope is she hits rock bottom rather quickly. Apparently Babette the owner of the local speakeasy has a bigger role in later episodes and she did seem interesting in her cameo appearance in the pilot.

The setting is a major part of the hook for the show and I was pleased with the detail and attention paid to it. Although it does feel like they are going more for a period atmosphere than overall accuracy. The scene where the speakeasy parties as Prohibition comes into effect is good way to set the tone for the show and a great way to show why the decade is called the Roaring Twenties. The show seems more into mining the allegory and political commentary from the setting  than simply letting the setting be a character in itself an approach I appreciate and may avoid some of the struggles shows like Mad Men are having. The idea of a zealous but hypocritical right clashing with a free-thinking but decadent left while those who navigate the middle are forced to chose is done well without bashing the viewer over the head. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the era is the development of both the FBI and organized crime how the two feed into each other and how their stories are indelibly connected . This is the story that made the smallest impression but it seems to be set up for a long arc so I'll give it time before I decide how I feel about it.

A couple of things bugged however like the complete skating over of the racial issues, with only on off hand remark made about the fact that Arthur Rothstein is Jewish while at the time the fact that Irish Nucky was dealing with the Italians would have been a fairly big deal. Although Chalky White is supposed to address some of that it would be rather odd if the only one who pointed this out would be the older characters. If the show is unwilling to show Nucky as a racist it worries me about how far they would go in other aspects. 

The pace of the show was also odd it dragged in spots and the big plot twist was so out of the blue it was confusing but these are often the problem with pilots and it may just be that. Overall Boardwalk Empire is an intriguing mix and perhaps best of all there is an depth to the show that says there is much going on beneath the surface of things and I am certainly looking forward to seeing it explored.

Edited: Apparently the characters name was Margaret and the show has more subtlety than I gave it credit for